Bowling-alley ball



Patented May 9, l899 W. H. HOWARD, BOWLING ALLEY BALL.

(Application filed .Nov. 7, 1896.)

(N0 Model.)

W/ T VEEEEE- VILLIAM H. HOYVARD, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

BOWLING-ALLEY BALL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,808, dated May 9, 1899.

Application filed November '7, 1.89 8. Serial No. 695,778. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM H. HOWARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain 'Improvements in Bowling-Alley Balls, of which the following is a specification. Bowling-alley balls were originally made perfectly solid, but to afford means for controlling the same to better advantage fingerholes have been provided, whereby the balls could beheld more securely and directed more accurately. These holes disturb the balance or equilibrium of the ball to some extent owing to its being naturally lighter on the side having the holes. Furthermore, these openings destroy the continuity of the surface of the ball, rendering it liable to jump if the edges of the openings should come into contact with the alley. In rolling a ball provided with these openings the fingers and thumb are liable to be strained and the skin broken at the points where the hand comes into contact with the edges of said openings. Furthermore, in delivering a ball having finger-holes the palm of the hand is naturally brought to the front, necessitating a quarterturn of the forearm, Which is an unnatural position, the tendency of the arm to resume its normal position as the fingers are leaving the holes being liable to change the course of the ball. To overcome all of these difliculties and to facilitate the handling and delivery of the ball is the object of my invention, which consistsin a bowling-alley ball provided with an extensible handle normally inclosed within the ball and adapted to be drawn out there from and grasped by the hand, said handle having a retracting-spring, whereby itv is instantly withdrawn within the ball when released to prevent it from coming into contact with the alley as the ball rolls thereover, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a bowling-alley ball con,-

structed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of a portion of the sur face of the ball. 'line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

In the said drawings, Arepresent-s a bowling-alley ball which is bored out axially to form a chamber 1) for the reception of a slid-' Fig. 3 is a section on the ing pin or spindle 13, provided at its inner end with ahead 0, which rests normally against the bottom of the chamber 1), said spindle the flaring or countersunk mouth of the opening into which it fits.

Within the outer end of the chamber 1) is secured a sleeve or bushing f, through which slides the spindle B, the interior diameter of the inner portion of said bushing being enlarged to form an annular space or chamber 9 for the reception of a portion of a spiral retracting-spring D, one end of which bears against the shoulder h of the bushing, while the opposite or inner end rests against the shoulder t' of the spindle, the spring when thus arranged serving to normally retain the spindle within the ball, as shown in Fig. 1, and also permit it to be drawn out by the hand until its head 0 comes into contact with the inher end of the bushing f, which forms a stop I to prevent the further withdrawal of the spindle or handle. In delivering the ball the handle as soon as ,it is released is instantly retracted by the spring D into the position shown in Fig. 1, thus avoiding any possibility of its coming into contact with the alley as the ball rolls thereover.

To enable the handle to be easilypulled out, a

it is preferably provided at its outer end with undercut notches 70, so that it can be seized between the finger and thumb, when it can be readily d rawn out against the resistance of the spring D, the strength of which is only sufficient to insure the retraction of the handle before the ball strikes the alley. The length of the chamber 9 in the bushing f is preferably such as to be capable of receiving the entire spring D, whereby the head c of the handle is' permitted to come into unyielding contact with the inner end of the bushing when the ballis being held by the handle in the act of delivery. As the handle B and its spring D fill the chamber 7), the equilibrium of the ball remains undisturbed, and as the outer end of the handle when retracted forms an unyielding portion of the surface of the ball the jumping of the latter, due to the presence of an opening, is avoided. Furthermore, by dispensing with the finger-holes the strain of the fingers and the liability of breaking the skin is, prevented,while it no longer becomes necessary to bring the palm of the hand to the front by a quarter-turn of the forearm, and consequently when grasping the handle the arm is free to swing in a natural position to deliver the ball, thus reducing the strain on the muscles to a minimum and avoidingunnecessary fatigue.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A bowling-alley ball provided with an extensible handle adapted when released to be automatically retracted within the ball, substantially as described.

2. A bowling-alley ballprovided with an extensible handle normally inclosed therein, and provided with a spring for retracting it when released on the delivery of the ball, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a bowling-alley ball having an axial bore forming a chamber, of a pin or spindle sliding within said chamber and forming an extensible handle for the ball, a sleeve or bushing secured within the outer end of the chamber, a spring encircling the spindle and acting to retract the same within the ball when released, and a stop for limiting the outward movement of the spindle, substantially as described.

Witness my hand this 4th day of November, A. D'. 1898.

WILLIAM H. HOWARD. In presence of P. E. TESCHEMACHER, M. B. WILsoN. 

